Portrayal of conservatives was insulting, untrue

Published: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 08:00 AM.

Mr. Haq would have us believe that only Republicans are politically biased. Tell that to tea party activists and supporters who we now know were illegally targeted by the IRS, allegedly unbeknownst to anyone in the White House.

And tell it to the four brave men who died in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012 who were denied military assistance because it might have been disadvantageous to President Obama’s re-election chances.

And by the way, Mr. Haq, most of us tea party conservatives fought the bailouts and its corresponding effect on the national debt. He claims that conservative principles led to our national debt while ignoring Obama’s monumental deficit spending. Well, we believe that the runaway liberal agenda Haq supports will lead us to both moral and financial bankruptcy.

Mr. Rezwan Haq’s diatribe against conservatives published in the May 18 News Herald (“Conservatism appeals to Americans’ fears”) literally demands a response from those of us he so callously criticized in his so-called “progressive” agenda. Many of us in our community found his comments and prejudicial stereotypical characterizations totally offensive and untrue.

Mr. Haq’s letter demonstrates the typical biased opinion and political blindness demonstrated by many liberals. He glibly characterizes all conservatives as evil predators whose sole agenda is to challenge President Obama’s policies regardless of their perceived intent. I found his portrayal of conservatives in general, and Republicans in particular, insulting and patently untrue. He ignored the many excesses of the Democrats in power today that are now emerging on a daily basis.

Most of the residents of Bay County hold conservative views and support conservative moral values, and we are far better than Mr. Haq can ever imagine. I am also a registered independent and I resent Mr. Haq’s biased views regarding my values, characterizing me and so many others of like mind as uncaring “race baiters” who “wage war on the poor,” support torture, encourage pollution and endorse “rigging elections.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

Mr. Haq would be well advised to investigate his charges a little more thoroughly before displaying his ignorance in a public forum. To begin with, Bay County residents are known for their generosity and benevolence, consistently supporting charities, benefits for the poor, educational programs and public works projects both locally and abroad. We give in far greater proportion than our “progressive” counterparts in other areas of the state. We don’t hate the poor. We want to help the poor succeed and create their own wealth.

Many of us do not trust or endorse “one size fits all” federal policies that are geared more toward political correctness than achieving results. Our tax policies openly subsidize unwed motherhood and our Department of Education ignores basic family and moral values under the guise of upholding “diversity” and social independence. Is it really the government’s job to provide birth-control pills to single women, suppress tax-exempt status to “right to life” groups and guarantee that everyone has a cell phone?

Insofar as voting rights are concerned, Mr. Haq completely ignores the self-serving tactics endorsed by the current administration to win the last two elections. Does he remember the excesses committed by ACORN when it was caught registering fictitious voters in 2008? Does he remember Attorney General Eric Holder refusing to prosecute the New Black Panthers for intimidating white voters in Philadelphia in 2008? Can he really justify Mr. Holder’s refusal to allow Southern (aka conservative) states to require voter ID to prevent voter fraud?

And let’s not overlook Mr. Haq’s obvious prejudice against President Bush. Yes it was ultimately proved that Saddam Hussein did not have nuclear weapons, but everyone, including all leading Democrats at the time, believed that they did. Were they all liars, Mr. Haq, including Hilary Clinton who publicly stated she had conducted her own investigation? And how do you explain Mr. Obama’s open reticence to repeal or limit the Patriot Act, which he campaigned against in 2008? We already learned in the last two weeks that it’s being used to spy on the press and access email accounts.

Mr. Haq would have us believe that only Republicans are politically biased. Tell that to tea party activists and supporters who we now know were illegally targeted by the IRS, allegedly unbeknownst to anyone in the White House.

And tell it to the four brave men who died in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012 who were denied military assistance because it might have been disadvantageous to President Obama’s re-election chances.

And by the way, Mr. Haq, most of us tea party conservatives fought the bailouts and its corresponding effect on the national debt. He claims that conservative principles led to our national debt while ignoring Obama’s monumental deficit spending. Well, we believe that the runaway liberal agenda Haq supports will lead us to both moral and financial bankruptcy.